


The adventure of the naval treaty

by RosyeS



Series: Sherlock Holmes and his journalist [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 221B Baker Street, Arthur Conan Doyle Canon References, F/M, Jealous Sherlock, Murder Mystery, Sherlock Holmes & John Watson Friendship, Sherlock Holmes Has Feelings, Story: The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:00:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28978539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosyeS/pseuds/RosyeS
Summary: Annie Harrison felt like the world just shattered over her head. Her fiance's death and the theft of a secret naval treaty send her in a spiral of desperation and anxiety... and Sherlock Holmes really is not improving her situation.Take place between season 1 and 2.
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Sherlock Holmes and his journalist [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125566
Comments: 7
Kudos: 2





	1. The rude man

Annie Harrison wasn't used to be scrutinized so much during her own job, but she supposed it was her fault when her boss had warned her about the man she was going to interview and she ignored him.

The bright blue eyes in front of her were almost mocking her as soon as she pulled out her notepad.

"I hope we won't waste too much time with this, Miss Harrison" he scoffed, ignoring his friend's glare when the young woman blushed nervously and tucked her blond hair behind an ear, attempting to avoid the bored detective's inquisitive stare.

"Ignore him" John Watson said kindly, "He woke up cranky today"

"Oh, please. I'm being used as stepping stool for her career, the least she can do is bear with it" Sherlock Holmes replied, "Now tell me, what exactly possessed you to come here and ask about an ongoing case?"

"I..."

"Spare me the details" he stopped her, "This is tedious"

"If you want an answer then let her speak, Sherlock" John reprimanded him.

"It doesn't really matter"the other shrugged.

Annie didn't know what to do with the insufferable man in front of her and if it wasn't for her shyness she would at least replied to his discourtesy in equal measure.

Sherlock turned his attention to the blond younger woman sat in the middle of the room and decided to cut short the chase, facilitating himself to get rid of her quickly.

"You came here to interview me on an hunch, mainly because you thought I would be involved in the recent murder that upset the good people of London. Sadly you made a mistake, since I refused to accept this particularly boring case. So you are wasting your time, and more importantly my own, with your presence here"

"Sherlock..."John attempted to stop him, seeing the girl paling and her eyes filling to the brim with tears.

"Recently you came out of a long-term relationship, as I can deduce from the nervous tick that lead you to find some comfort in a ring that right now you aren't wearing. This fact leads me to think that he left you for some reason, maybe for another woman, seeing how your frigid shyness discourages even John, who's always ready to flirt with whoever passes in front of him. And now you're attempting to go back to work as usual, but your attention always deviates to something else, so I suppose you're failing in that field too"

"Sherlock, for goodness sake..!"

"Now tell me. Am I wrong?" the detective ignored his friend, as Annie almost trembled under his cold blue eyes.

The woman had no wish to continue with the interview and guessed it would be better to avoid mention anything else, seeing the poor treatment she was receiving, but she couldn't let him have the last word.

"Yes, you are. Percy died the day after he proposed, assassinated in his own home, but as you eloquently just said, you know nothing about him, since the case wasn't interesting enough for the great detective Sherlock Holmes" she said in one breath, knowing that if she stopped the pain would overwhelm her.

Annie picked up her purse and ignored John's attempt to apologize, not caring even when Sherlock stood up abruptly.

The woman rushed out of the flat, leaving the detective stunned and the doctor angry with his friend.

"Are you happy now? There was no need to rudely dissect her life"

Sherlock suppressed the slight guilt he felt when they saw the blond woman wiping her tear-stained cheeks with the sleeve of her blue jumper as she climbed in the cab.

The detective didn't say anything, much to John's displeasure, and returned to his violin, apparently forgetting about Miss Harrison and the bad impression they made for the next few days until Mycroft Holmes appeared in their flat.

"I have a case for you, little brother" the older Holmes said as soon as Sherlock 'welcomed' him, "Have you heard of Percival Phelps?"

"He was an employee of the Foreign Office killed two weeks ago in his house. We met his fiancee here"

"I know. She ran out of your flat in tears"

"As usual your men have ears and eyes everywhere" Sherlock shrugged, "I simply behaved as I always do with my clients. If you run at the first sign of disagreement, then you're not really interested in my help"

"And as usual I had to do some damage control. Her brother, one of my employees came to me demanding apologies on his sister's behalf"

John glared at Sherlock, who rolled his eyes and abandoned his back against the plush chair he occupied in the sitting room. As expected Mycroft was about to reveal the true reason why he had a case for his brother.

"I don't care about the murder. I want you to find a document stolen from his study. He was supposed to keep the treaty safe, but now it's gone and we want to avoid scandals if possible" Mycroft explained, "Needless to say, you'll both be sworn to secrecy and payed handsomely for the effort"

Sherlock was about to refuse, as usual when it came to Mycroft's requests, when John butted in and accepted the folder the older man was extending to the detective.

"I'm sure that girl wanted to ask for your help too. Unfortunately you're the only one capable of giving her closure about her dead lover's death and now with this case you can at least apologize for your rudeness"

"Joseph Harrison asked me to keep you away from his sister. Do whatever you want, but don't upset Miss Annie with your presence"

Sherlock rolled his eyes and grabbed the folder, under John's patronizing glare and begrudgingly opened the folder, where Mycroft had attached the photos of every single person with easy access to Phelps' house. There Annie Harrison was smiling shyly at the victim, hazel eyes lovingly staring at Percy Phelps as he presented a ring to her.


	2. To start an investigation

As the cab left Sherlock and John in front of the victim's flat, they could see a corpulent man waiting for them on the curb. It was clear he was pretty much nervous seeing how fast he paced back and forth in front of his car, barking at his mobile as he talked with someone.

"I bet this is Mycroft's minion" John commented when he finally saw them, his brows knitting at the sight of the tall detective, "I mean, Miss Harrison's brother"

Sherlock didn't bother to reply as Joseph Harrison was marching toward them, his face morphing in a sarcastic grin when the other man glared at them coldly.

"I guess you're the bastard that made my sister cry" Joseph growled, "I'll give you full access to Percy's house, as requested, and we are at your disposal. Even if I really would like to smash your face"

"You aren't the first to say it" John muttered, "We're very sorry about your sister. How is she?"

"Still shocked"

"Don't stop your chattering on my account" Sherlock sighed dramatically, "Give me the key to the flat. Your presence is not needed at the moment. I read the police report on the crime scene, but as usual I'll need to make up for their incompetence and the lack of mention about the carpet"

"The carpet?" John asked, trailing behind Sherlock as he climbed swiftly up the stairs to reach the flat.

"Miss Annie, according to what Lestrade wrote here, was in the sitting room. The door was in her visual field, so, unless she's our killer, it would be difficult for someone to go inside and come out without being noticed"

"And what does the carpet have to do with …"

"This flat is on the first floor, easily accessible from the condominium garden when the window is open and lately the weather has been very good, except few days of heavy rainfall. The day before Phelps' death the grass was surely drenched and the dirt stuck under the shoes, so it would be very likely to find the carpet dirty under the window"

Holmes strode inside the office and went straight to the desk, placed just in front of the large window. The wood had no sign of being splintered or damaged and the sill was perfectly clean.

Squatting down, the detective watched carefully the carpet and John could see him smirk excitedly.

"Have you found something?"

"Absolutely nothing, John"

"And this is a good thing...?" Joseph Harrison asked tentatively.

"Can I speak with Miss Annie? There is something I would like to ask her"

"Absolutely not. I won't subject my sister to other uncomfortable situations dragging her to the very room where her fiance has been slaughtered like a pig" Joseph protested, "Tell me what you want to know and I'll report her answer to you"

Sherlock sighed dramatically, pulling out something from his coat and showing a silver shining object that John recognized immediately as a mobile.

"That is my...!"

"Mr. Harrison, I'm sure my dear older brother told you I need to have fully access to all the evidence and this includes being able to interrogate the suspects as many times as I wish. Now, lets keep this incomprehension between us" Sherlock said with a fake concerned pout, before tapping on Annie's contacts and waiting for her to pick up the call.

" _Hello? Joe, this is really not a good time_ "

"Hello, Miss Harrison. Can you tell me if you heard noises coming from your fiance's office?" Sherlock asked without presenting himself.

" _Who are you? Where is my brother_?"

"Annie, please, answer his question and Mr. Holmes will let you be" Joseph pleaded her, as John wanted to disappear in a hole as the sweet voice of the young woman replied to the rude detective when he urged her to speak clearly and not waste anymore time.

" _What kind of noise you are interested in, Mr. Holmes_?"

"The kind normally you don't associate with Percy Phelps' habits" Sherlock impatiently said, "Come on, think!"

"Enough, Mr. Holmes! You're mistreating her again!" Joseph protested.

"Let him work. I know he behaves like a bastard, but maybe she can help him solve this case faster this way" John stopped him when the bigger man tried to grab Sherlock.

" _I don't know if it's what you're searching for, but I remember hearing running water. I thought it was strange, since Percy rarely used that bathroom when I was there_ " she said, " _He preferred to come out and check on me during breaks... to make sure I was comfortable as he worked_ "

Sherlock almost instantly hanged up and rushed to the bathroom annexed to the room, where he carefully observed the spotless sink. The surface was dry, but the towel hanged beside it had been clearly used.

"John" Sherlock called his friend as Joseph attempted to peek inside the cramped bathroom, "Smell it"

"No" the other retracted immediately with a grimace.

"I'm sure the dead man won't be offended"

"Absolutely not! You do it!"

"I already did it. And do you know what I discovered thanks to Miss Harrison?"

"No?" Joseph interjected behind them as Sherlock turned around to watch with interest Mycroft's employee.

"Someone with a flat like this usually has a housekeeper and it was Monday the day of the murder, so clearly everything had been cleaned and the towels changed in order to do the laundry. Now, can you tell me why I find one damp and dirty on the hanger?"

"He used the bathroom and as all the normal people washed his hands before returning to the desk" John shrugged.

"Do you see how the color of the cloth is darker on the back? This is dirt" Sherlock showed them the towel and dragged John to the desk, moving the chair and pointing to a portion of carpet slightly darker than the cream color in the rest of the room, "The killer stained it when he climbed over the windowsill and attempted to clean the carpet, but you can't remove mud with water or it will stay like this"

"Surely someone would have noticed a man, or woman, climbing on a wall" John protested, "It's not exactly a common sight"

"This is a private backyard, John. From the street is impossible to see anything and there are no immediate buildings confining with this property" Sherlock shrugged, "And you'll find an ample community of reckless teenagers jumping around like squirrels and scaling walls in a poor imitation of fantasy video games. Check on Youtube"

"I hardly think a teenager killed my ex brother-in-law" Joseph said.

"Oh, no. Definitely not a teenager, but it's a good starting point"


	3. I know who did it, but I won't tell you

Returning to Baker Street, Sherlock wasn't surprised at all to see Mycroft waiting in the flat, sat on the couch and disgusted by the dirty plates on the coffee table. 

"Mrs. Hudson says she's not your housekeeper, but you'd really need someone to clean up this mess" he said with a grimace. 

"Cut short your opinions on my flat and tell me what are you doing here" Sherlock coldly said, "I'm busy" 

"News on the treaty? Have you found the document?" 

"It wasn't in the office" John replied, shrugging off his jacket and tiredly throwing it on his chair.  
"Finding the killer will lead me to the treaty, Mycroft. But I have no evidence to call Lestrade and arrest him" Sherlock commented. 

"So you already knew who killed Phelps?!" John exclaimed, "Why have you wasted so much time in his flat then?" 

"All the suspects know I'm investigating by now. If this man is focused on throw me off his trail, then I have the time to act before the acquisition" Sherlock surmised. 

The detective hadn't bothered to take off scarf and coat, glancing to his brother in disgust, and decided on the spot to go out again. If there was a chance to avoid Mycroft's presence, he would do literally anything in return. 

"Tell me where Miss Harrison works. I suppose I'll go and inform her of my involvement in her fiance's case" 

"I noticed she usually spends the afternoon in a cafe nearby the Sun. Maybe you'll find her there, but I doubt she will want to speak with you, Sherlock" 

"If she wants me to continue with my work, she will find the time to listen to me" 

"Don't tell me you really plan to abandon this case..." Mycroft glared at him venomously. 

"Don't be ridiculous" Sherlock spat as he was leaving the flat, "Once I take a case, I won't leave it until its solution" 

John sighed and was about to follow his friend, at least to spare the poor girl another crying fit, when the older Holmes stopped him. 

"Let him go. I'm sure he will find a way to take advantage of the situation and extort informations about the treaty" 

"But what about Annie? He will make her cry again and Mr. Harrison has been clear about that matter. He doesn't want none of us close to her" 

"I think this is the exact reason why Sherlock is doing it" Mycroft answered cryptically.

...

Annie almost had an heart attack when a tall man clad in black jacket took the chair opposite to her.  
Sherlock glanced at the small notepad in her hands before moving his eyes up to hers. 

"Miss Harrison, a pleasure to meet you again" 

The young woman felt a shiver as his cold voice washed over her. Last time they saw each other Sherlock had been very rude and insulting with her, so she took his presence there as a warning bell. 

Something was up and for some reason he wanted to talk with her, bearing in mind the discussion they had on the phone few hours before. 

"Just tell me what you want, Mr. Holmes" 

"An hour of your time will be enough" he shrugged, "Tell me what do you know about your ex-fiance's work" 

"He's not my ex" 

"Technically, he is. A dead man is no good at reciting vows during a ceremony" 

Annie felt her eyes burning in shame as he treated her like a stubborn child who refused to accept the truth, but she swallowed her reply.  
There was no use in getting angry with someone like Sherlock Holmes, especially with his preponderance to fight back everytime his opinion was challenged. 

"We will go to the house to conduct a little experiment" he declared. 

"I don't want to go back in that flat" she refused, "Find someone else" 

"I'm pretty sure you're the one with more interest in finding Mr. Phelps' killer. You wanted my help when you came to Baker Street" 

"No, I was only doing my job as journalist...!" 

"Just because you said nothing, it doesn't mean no one can guess what you're after" Sherlock said, standing up and picking up her jacket for her, "Now, come on" 

Annie really didn't want to do anything with him, but she supposed it would be better to go with his plan. After all, if he was investigating on Percy's death, then she had to be brave and face whatever was going to happen. 

The trip went relatively fast and the detective hurried Annie up the stairs until he opened the door of the flat.  
There she paled and stayed behind as Sherlock pranced inside. 

"I need you to sit down in the chair and wait for me" 

"I... I... I can't" she sobbed, seeing the big blood stain left on the carpet beside the desk. 

"It will take just a moment" he assured her, already jumping out of the door and locking it behind his back. 

The poor girl rushed after Sherlock, pounding on the door and screaming at him, all the while sobbing desperately against the door as her body was shaking. 

Outside the flat, Sherlock was calmly listening to her voice as she called for him, noting how the sounds were perfectly coming to his ears and wondered if the same could be verifiable from the people inside. 

His hands went to the bricks of the wall and hailed his weight up the short distance that divided him from the office. 

Annie turned around when she heard someone panting for the effort and ran to the window, just in time to see pale hands grabbing the sill and Sherlock Holmes appearing right in front of her face. 

"Can you move, please?" he said, panting and waiting for her to leave him some space. 

The faint scent of soap and baked goods washed over him as she helped him inside, even if the natural good looks of the woman were ruined by the tears still trailing on her cheeks. 

"Why have you left me here?!" 

"I wanted to see if I could assault you" he replied nonchalantly, "And we just demonstrated how the killer managed to come in and escape without being noticed" 

"You mean...?" 

"Yes, he came from the window. Now if we are in this position" he continued, guiding her to the desk and extending his arms, "You'll see that your body is within my reach and I can easily drag you to the window" 

Sherlock pulled her to himself and closed his arm around her shoulder, making her gasp in fright. 

"In two minutes and half, the killer is fleeing" he concluded, deciding to not mention the stolen documents. 

There was no need to inform Annie of it. 

"But this doesn't help you to find this person" 

"No, but I have a good idea of where to begin" he lied.


	4. Loss and pain

As Sherlock dragged Annie all over London, interrogating the housekeeper Mrs. Tangey and her husband and occasionally asking her about her family history, the detective finally had found Lestrade sipping his coffee at the desk and a mountain of folders opened in front of him. 

"Lestrade, I'll take the case" Sherlock announced, pushing in front of him Annie as she counfusedly stared at the detective. 

"What case?" 

"Percy Phelps" 

"You said it was boring!" 

"Not at all. Now, tell me what Anderson managed to find and I'll see if something can be salvaged in the midst of his unnerving nonsense" 

Annie stood beside Sherlock as he took a seat and waited impatiently for Lestrade to appease him. 

"Sit" he told her, "It will take some time" 

"Please, Miss Harrison" the other man commented, "Don't be so confused. He always behaves like this" 

Annie had thought her days as normal journalists ended with Percy's death, but as she got to know better Sherlock, she could tell the strangest part of her life had still to come. 

He went from complete disinterest to excitement in short time and there was no way he was doing it for her, as atonement for his rudeness. There was clearly something that intetested him, at least more than the murder, but she would keep her silence about it. 

It wasn't everyday to catch the attention for a case of a well-known detective as Sherlock was about to become with all the advertising on his website. 

"As usual Anderson is incompetent for this work. How can you still work with him, Gerald?" 

"Greg. And you're the only one to say it" Lestrade corrected him without moving his eyes from the window, as if it was a unconscious repetitive action deeply rooted in his habits... and maybe it really was. 

"Well, I suppose then that we'll go and see if this footprints match with our suspects" 

"Miss Harrison, do you mind showing us your boots?" Lestrade politely asked to the blond young woman. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Gavin. She is not a suspect" Sherlock stood up dramatically, "Her feet are small and her nails are always perfectly manicured. Everything in her screams good education and femininity. She would never prance around in the mud and climb up the wall. No, it's clearly a man" 

"Or a woman with big feet" she observed shyly, almost frightened by the savage light in Sherlock's bluish eyes as he turned to watch her in interest, "Sorry" 

"No, no. Feel free to say your ideas out loud" he commented, "Sometimes stupid observations are useful at least to push me to the truth" 

Lestrade sighed at the offended glare Annie was throwing at Sherlock, who ignored them both and rushed out of the office. 

"So, I can return to my work...?" she sort of asked to the detective. 

"If I know Sherlock, he will wait for you in a cab" Greg replied, "He can be childish if you ignore him too long and I can tell he definitely wants to show off" 

The journalist politely said goodbye to the older man and avoided the curious eyes of all Scotland Yard as she literally ran to the elevators.  
As she waited for the doors to open, Annie wondered why Sherlock was dragging her around when she was supposed to be at her desk, working on her articles. 

She sighed in relief when Sherlock was nowhere to be found and was about to call for a cab, when a deep voice made her squeak in surprise. 

"If you come with me, I'll reply to your questions for your articles" 

"Who said I was still writing about you?" she asked, her small hand pressed against her chest as Annie calmed down. 

"It would be very profitable for your career. And for my business, since you'll find me new cases" 

"New cases?" 

"I'm offering a collaboration" Sherlock said, "John's blog definitely contribuited to give me interesting clients, but the press is usually a good source of information" 

"I can't see what kind of advantage I could have. Dr Watson already writes about your cases, no one would pay for the same story when there is a free blog" 

"Then you can bask in the happiness of helping the society..." 

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure you two can do it without me" she cut him off, "Thank you for helping in my fiance's case, but I don't want have nothing to do with killers and murders" 

Sherlock watched her climb in the cab Annie had called for herself and pouted at her timid smile as he was left behind. 

Definitely it had gone worse than he had imagined, but he had never been one to give up. Sherlock was sure she could be a valuable asset, despite the obvious tendency to hormonal changes. 

For now, he was satisfied with planting doubts and playing his game. 

... 

Annie woke up the following day after a call from the morgue.   
Detective Lestrade was allowing the family to properly bury Percy and let him rest in peace after Sherlock said it was useless to postpone the funeral, seeing there was nothing else to observe on the body. 

Dressed in a simple black dress, Annie was almost ready to go out when her eyes went to the engagement ring on her nightstand. 

It was almost an unconscious decision to wear it everyday, and now that she was about to say goodbye to him for the last time, Annie wondered if she had the right to keep it.  
There was no family left except Percy's old uncle, Lord Holdhurst, who had already sent a cheque for the expenses but couldn't attend. 

It was with sadness that she realised she would be alone at the funeral, since Percy wasn't exactly sociable and had no interest in spending time with colleagues.  
In truth, Percy had always been sweet with her but wasn't keen in showing off that kind of affection in public. 

Forcing herself to push back the sadness at their memories together, Annie spent the trip to the mortuary in silence. 

Joseph and her parents couldn't attend with such short notice and Annie wasn't expecting no one else, so she was surprised when John and Sherlock were waiting for her outside the building. 

"What are you doing here?" 

"We wanted to keep you company, Miss Harrison" John said, "We are really sorry for your loss" 

Annie smiled faintly at him.  
At least now, she wasn't alone.

... 

"Why haven't you told her it was your idea to come here?" John asked. 

"It doesn't matter" Sherlock shrugged, watching the sad girl as she thanked the priest for the small memorial service. 

"You don't want to show your human side to others. But it doesn't mean I'll forget" John teased his friend, "In a couple of years I'll use this information as leverage" 

Sherlock didn't bother to reply, his blue eyes still fixed on the blond journalist. There was something so upsetting in the sight of her so sad and lonely that pulled even his cold heart. 

And it wouldn't be the last pain to hit her at the end of that case.


	5. Another hit in the heart

Annie was picking up the papers scattered all over her desk when a colleague came to warn her about John's presence outside the building. 

"He said he wanted to check on you" the other journalist shrugged, "I told him to come up, but he refused" 

"Right then, I'll go and see him" 

"If you can... give him my number" the older woman hopefully gave her a piece of paper with a big red lipstick imprint of her painted lips. 

"Sure" Annie replied with an uncertain smile. 

She rushed out of the building as soon as coat and scarf were wrapped securely around her, wondering why a complete stranger was so interested in her well-being. 

If her experience with Sherlock was anything to go by, then John would surely ask an answer to their offer. Slowing down a bit as the parking lot came into her visual, the woman lost all interest in whatever the pair had to say. 

John Watson seemed a decent man despite Sherlock's company, but she still had no interest in joining their long list of informants. 

As she joined the man on the curb, Annie realised he was alone for the first time ever since they met.   
Maybe it was the absence of the tall and cold companion, but the doctor seemed less suspicious. 

"Miss Harrison, good morning. How are you?" 

"Better, thank you. I never had occasion to express my gratitude for what you did at the funeral" she smiled at him, "Please, give my thanks to Mr Holmes too" 

"Don't mention it. It was the right thing to do in that moment and I hope you won't find me nosy if I ask you what are your intentions for the future" John watched as the woman toyed with her scarf, sadness returning in her Hazel eyes. 

"I suppose it's too early to say I'll surely move on, but soon or later it will happen and Percy will be a fond memory. It's scary how much dependent on someone you can become only to be stranded as soon as this person leaves" 

"I was a soldier. I can understand what you mean... and that is why I decided to warn you before Sherlock can trample all over your feelings" 

Annie watched him with interest John fidgeting on the spot, suddenly interested in the dirty curb. 

"Something happened?" 

"Sherlock solved your case and asked me to bring you to him as soon as you're ready" 

"Well then, lead the way" she shrugged, looking around for a cab. 

"Just one more thing. Even if he comes out as an ass, he really wouldn't hurt anyone willingly" 

The woman was really curious now, wondering what John's words meant and why Sherlock didn't come out himself with the solution.  
The detective couldn't resist showing off in front of everyone, so it was a bit strange for her to be called in his flat privately. 

They spent the trip to Baker Street in silence as John's worry grew up as soon as the familiar building came in sight. 

Mrs Hudson greeted them politely and told them Sherlock and Mycroft were waiting for them. 

"Mycroft too?" John asked, "When...?" 

"Just a couple of minutes after you left. I suppose Sherlock called him" 

Annie followed John upstairs where the Holmes brothers were in uncomfortable silence. 

"Miss Harrison, please sit down" Mycroft greeted her, offering his chair - or rather John's. 

"Please, I'm here only to hear your brother's conclusions, Mr Holmes. As soon as we've done here, I have to go back to work" 

"I took the liberty of warning your boss of your absence this afternoon. You'll thank me" he commented as Sherlock glared at him. 

"As usual you think yourself above the others, making decisions for them" John scolded the older Holmes. 

"I have no desire of hearing you two bickering" Sherlock snapped, "All of you, sit down. You too, Miss Annie" 

The young woman took a seat on the couch beside John and forced the brothers to come closer, leaving the comfortable chairs beside the fireplace. 

"As he was investigating on your fiance's death, my brother was also trying to retrieve an important document Mr Phelps was keeping safe for the government" 

"When Mycroft told me about it, I thought it was the reason why the killer attacked him, but the room was a mess and the evidence still untouched. Clearly it was a surprise for our man to find Mr Phelps in the office and when they saw each other, the only thing to do was obvious" 

"I checked his body. Anderson said his troath had been cut and the killer was behind Phelps, but it turns out he got it wrong" John placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as Annie paled. 

"He had been recognized, so panicking he barely noticed what he had done. And I guess he knew of your presence out of the door, because he cleaned up and disappeared leaving a potential witness unscathed" 

"Do you know why he did it, Miss Harrison?" Mycroft asked. 

Annie trembled violently against John's hold on her shoulders when she attempted to stand up and almost fainted. 

"Even if he was the source of your pain, he couldn't bear to harm his little sister" Sherlock concluded, "I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry" 

And then, as everything was swimming in front of her eyes, Annie finally collapsed.  
A pair of cold hand grabbed her from the waist and helped John guiding her to the couch. 

"... sorry" 

... 

"It went well" Mycroft commented, ready to leave the flat, "I'm sure she will cooperate with us in apprehending her brother" 

"Leave the poor girl alone for today, Mycroft" John replied, "We'll let you know if she agrees" 

"Don't waste too much time, little brother. If Harrison manages to sell the treaty, a catastrophical international incident will happen" 

Sherlock sat in front of Annie's unconscious body and frowned at how pale she seemed even in that moment.  
Surely it couldn't be healthy so much stress. 

"What we do now, Sherlock" John sighed, "The government already declared it treason and Joseph will probably end in some remote prison. She will never move on from something like this" 

Sherlock didn't reply as he wondered what she would do.   
Mycroft was a nosy pompous ass, but he couldn't imagine himself in her shoes. To see a sibling being accused of murder would be shocking for anyone. 

"Maybe she will accept my offer and your friendship, John" 

It would be a good distraction from her boring routine.


End file.
